Glanceable AR: Towards a Pervasive and Always-On Augmented Reality Future

Augmented reality head-worn displays (AR HWDs) have the potential to assist personal computing and the acquisition of everyday information. With advancements in hardware and tracking, these devices are becoming increasingly lightweight and powerful. They could eventually have the same form factor as normal pairs of eyeglasses, be worn all-day, overlaying information pervasively on top of the real-world anywhere and anytime to continuously assist people’s tasks. However, unlike traditional mobile devices, AR HWDs are worn on the head and always visible. If designed without care, the displayed virtual information could also be distracting, overwhelming, and take away the user’s attention from important real- world tasks. In this dissertation, we research methods for appropriate information displays and interactions with future all-day AR HWDs by seeking answers to four questions: (1) how to mitigate distractions of AR content to the users; (2) how to prevent AR content from occluding the real-world environment; (3) how to support scalable on-the-go access to AR content; and (4) how everyday users perceive using AR systems for daily information acquisition tasks. Our work builds upon a theory we developed called Glanceable AR, in which digital information is displayed outside the central field of view of the AR display to minimize distractions, but can be accessed through a quick glance. Through five projects covering seven studies, this work provides theoretical and empirical knowledge to prepare us for a pervasive yet unobtrusive everyday AR future, in which the overlaid AR information is easily accessible, non-invasive, responsive, and supportive. Doctor of Philosophy Augmented reality (AR) refers to a technology in which digital information is overlaid on the real-world environment. This provides great potential for everyday uses, because users can view and interact with digital apps anywhere and anytime even when physical screens are unavailable. However, depending on how the digital information is displayed, it could quickly occupy the user’s view, block the real-world environment, and distract or overwhelm users. In this dissertation work, we research ways to deliver and interact with virtual information displayed in AR head-worn displays (HWDs). Our solution centers around the Glanceable AR concept, in which digital information is displayed in the periphery of users’ views to remain unobtrusive, but can be accessed through a glance when needed. Through empirical evaluations, we researched the feasibility of such solutions, and distilled lessons learned for future deployment of AR systems in people’s everyday lives.